Squishing to get to the front of the stage is overrated; all the action is in the back. If you like immersing in each other’s personal space, mixing sweat, and barely being able to grasp fresh air; why not make your way to the front. But if you ask me, I get enough of that on the Rutgers busses.
Beats on the banks featured the surfacing genre of EDM (Electric Dance Music), and brought up to 2,900 students together to experience this revolution of this music. But what is EDM really about, I asked myself as I saw the fist-pumping overcrowded pit. The music is supposed to be felt, and understood through the intense bass drops that make your body instinctively jump. It’s about getting lost in the continuous rhythm and letting yourself go to escape from the reality we call life.
As EDM has become more recognized, new listeners seek the rave scene. However, are they getting the real experience? What I’ve seen is an overload of people getting as close to the stage as possible to try to take pictures and infamous selfies.
I could barely enjoy myself while submerged near the front. I couldn’t dance and jump without stepping on somebody or hitting some innocent person’s head. I only stayed there for a couple of songs then shamelessly made my way to the back of the pit where I was welcomed by some happenin’ dudes in banana costumes.
Alesso came to the stage for the last hour of the show, and the room temperature had progressively risen. People near the back were ready to rage, where there was room to get wild, full of happy faces that also could not hold in their convulsive moves.
Beats on the banks was a great experience, one that I will not forget and which has changed my outlook on raving from the outside rather than being stuck in a sauna.
Katie Soto is a contributor for the Rutgers Review. RAVE ON, KATIE!